


Beats of the Heart

by ReneeDekobora2042



Category: No Straight Roads (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Honestly a cute relationship I'm surprised it wasn't fully adapted in the game, Learning instruments, Music, bandmates, kissy kisses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:42:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26812345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReneeDekobora2042/pseuds/ReneeDekobora2042
Summary: Zuke teaches Mayday how to play the drums. Mayday enjoys it a bit too much.
Relationships: Bunkbed Lovers, Mayday & Zuke (No Straight Roads), Mayday/Zuke (No Straight Roads)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 102





	Beats of the Heart

Mayday hit the final chord on her guitar, the hum of the strings fading out of the amp and signalling the finale of their practice. Bunkbed Junction had been in the underground venue all day rehearsing new and old songs, playing their instruments to ensure they were in peak performance for the gig they had on the weekend. It was their biggest one yet; the venue they had booked had sold out in about an hour which came as a massive surprise for the both of them. The increase in fans must have been from their endeavours against NSR. They had stopped rebelling against them now, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t enjoy the new fame they had gathered from it.

Zuke combed back his hair with his hand, the green tips bouncing when he ran his fingers over it. “That was pretty good. Could use a little work on the second verse I think.”

May raised an eyebrow as she sat down on her amp. “You think so?” She began to tweak the wires on her guitar. “I didn’t think we sounded too bad.”

The drummer shook his head. “No, not we. Me.” He spun a drumstick between his fingers; his drummer desire to fiddle with something always playing in his mind. “I just feel a little off, you know? It doesn’t sound right.”

May blew a raspberry, waving a hand of dismissal. “Nah, seemed fine to me. But then again, I’m not exactly a drummer so I wouldn’t know.” It was true. As far as she could recall, she had never even attempted to learn the drums. From a young age, she was drawn to the guitar; the sounds, the feel, the weight, the power – It felt like it was meant to be. Her discovery of The Goolings only made her love increase, the way Kul Fyra would rock her own guitar sending chills up young Mayday’s spine and littering goose bumps up her arms. It was fair to say she was born wanting to wield a guitar.

The drummer laughed. “Have you even held drumsticks before?” His laughter quickly turned to a frown upon realisation. “Other than when you broke mine, I mean.” His disappointment caused Mayday to chuckle, a hand rising to her mouth to stifle her laughter.

Once she had collected herself, May responded with “Honestly? No.” She put a hand to her chin in thought. “I might have had a couple of lessons when I was younger maybe? But nothing that stuck in my mind. I think the drums sound good, but It’s never been my forte.”

Zuke smirked and stood up from his drumkit, gesturing towards the seat with his arm. “Why don’t I teach you then? If there’s anyone that knows how you learn, it would be me.” His bandmate pouted, unsure of the situation. Zuke offered his drumsticks in the other hand. “It’s at least worth a try.”

Mayday sighed and took the sticks. She moved past Zuke and took a seat behind the drumkit, the large instrument seeming all that much bigger now that she was behind it. The guitar was so much simpler; there was a couple of strings: one end where you do chords, the other where you strum. But this thing had five drums and two symbols. And you had to use your feet as well!

“Now,” Zuke said, leaning next to May’s face, the warmth from his body mere inches from her. “Let’s start with something simple.” He pointed to one of the cymbals. “As a musician, you already know about bars. So, I want you to hit the hi-hat with your right hand on every beat till eight; even half beats.” 

She gripped the sticks with tight fists as she moved her right hand in the direction of the cymbal, which was very visible to the experienced drummer. Zuke brought his hand to hers and placed his fingers over her own, his skin calloused and rough. The contact made her blush and her body warm, but dismissed it as just the heat in the venue. He spoke with a soft and calming voice. “Hey, relax. Just let the drumstick be loose in your grip. It moves much easier when you’re not trying to strangle it.”

Relaxing was easier said than done when all she could think about was his face right next to hers and the sensation of his coarse fingertips on her skin. She took a deep breath, trying to block his touch out of her mind. She allowed her fist to go loose, the stick see-sawing in between her hand. Now that she was ready, May followed his instructions and began to play an unsteady eight and half beat hi-hat rhythm. She was surprised by how simple it was as she tapped her foot along to the beat, but her musical experience probably allowed her to get the hang of it quicker.

After doing it a few times in a row, Zuke paused her playing. “Okay, stop. Now, I want you to play the snare drum on every second beat with your left hand. You can do that, right?” 

Mayday hummed a yes to him and did as she was told, counting the beats in her head and hitting the drum on 2 – 4 – 6 – 8, 2 – 4 – 6 – 8. She normally didn’t have to count when she was practicing her guitar, but she assumed with practice she wouldn’t have to; she had never seen or heard Zuke do it anyway.

She drummed this beat for a little while, until her teacher informed her that he was happy with her progress. She looked towards her band mate who had a thoughtful hand placed on his chin. “Not bad, now let’s get a little complicated.” He indicated to the snare and hi-hat. “I want you to do what you just did, but together.”

Mayday pouted in concentration and moved her hands into position. Zuke smiled. “Count the beats out loud if it helps. You don’t have to play fast.” His voice was calming and soothing to her, albeit a little subtle and smooth, was causing her to feel warm inside. She was sure it wasn’t just the room now, but the feeling in her chest was strange. She had never really experienced it before. She took a quick breath, then did as she was told, attempting to play the two parts at once.

To Zuke, her playing was a mess. She couldn’t seem to hit the beats together in time and though she was playing it slow, her rhythm and flow seemed to be off. He was honestly surprised at how bad she was playing considering she also did music for a living, even if guitar was her specialty. He grabbed her arms to stop her from torturing his ears anymore. “Okay! So, you might need some work on that.”

The guitarist scratched the back of her head, laughing. “Am I really that bad?” 

Zuke chuckled along with her. “Umm… yeah… just a little bit.” 

The duo laughed for a while at the moment before falling into silence. After a beat, Zuke spoke up with “Hey, I’ve got an idea, move up a little.”

Mayday raised an eyebrow. “What? Why do you want me to move- ” Before she had time to finish, Zuke had moved behind her and shuffled her body forward a little, taking his place on the back of the seat. He had his legs either side of May’s body, his chest pressed up against her back, and his hands were sliding up her arms to interlock with her fingers. That heat she was feeling enveloped her now, her face red with sweat beading on her forehead. Just thinking about all the areas that were touching her body made a knot build in her stomach and her heart race. 

Zuke moved Mayday’s arms into position, his voice a soft whisper right by her ear. “I’m going to guide you, okay?” The trembling girl hummed an understanding awkwardly. The drummer guided her arms to the arranged beat, the sound this time being rhythmic and consistent. Mayday probably should have been paying attention to the movements, but she was too busy thinking about the close contact and the position she was in with Zuke on her back. It sent chills up her spine to have the pressure of his weight pushed up next to her.

Zuke led her arms through the beat for a little while. Afterwards, he removed his arms from hers and asked, “Do you think you’ve got it now?”

No reply. Mayday was still in a dazed state from the whole situation, her mind running around wild with all kinds of thoughts and ideas. 

“Umm… May?” Zuke tried to see her face, but from his position he couldn’t seem to get a good look at it. Instead, he cupped her chin with his hand and turned her head to face his own, their eyes meeting and staying on each other’s for a while. By this point, Mayday was a mess; her body felt like it was floating on warm fluffy clouds… only the clouds had a muscular chest and coarse fingers and sleek hair and beautiful green skin, and had their body pressed so close to her body that she could feel each breath as it rose and fell.

They sat there for some time, just staring into each other’s eyes in silence, with only their ragged breathing being heard throughout the venue. After a beat, Mayday leant towards Zuke, bringing her face close to his. She paused when their lips were just barely gracing, taking caution in the moment and letting Zuke decide. He took it, moving so their lips were touching in a soft embrace. The two of them breathed a sigh of relief as they brought each other closer; May wrapping her arms around Zuke’s neck, and Zuke placing his hands on her waist. The instant felt right, like it was always meant to be. They had known each other for so long, but had never taken it any further through fear of rejection; now here they were, finally at the point where they both wanted to be. It was a magical moment.

May shifted her hand to run her fingers through Zuke’s hair, the thick threads tickling her skin as she glided down its length. The sensation ran down Zuke’s neck, a subtle hum escaping from his mouth. The two of them bonded for a long time, just taking in each other after so long of not speaking on their emotions. They eventually broke the kiss, pulling back from each other and staring with lust in their eyes. After a beat, Mayday began to giggle, tilting her head back in laughter. Zuke started to laugh too from her laughter. 

Mayday smiled. “I guess I’m not very good at playing the drums huh?”

Zuke chuckled. “I think I can work with you, if you’ll let me.”

Mayday paused, prior to giving Zuke a peck on the cheek. “I think we can make it work.”

The drummer grinned before spinning Mayday back around to face the drumkit once again. The guitarist was a little surprised by the action. “Hey! What gives?”

Zuke wrapped his arms around her waist and placed his head on her shoulder. “We can do things later. First, I’m gonna teach you how to play this, even if it takes all day.”

May pouted. “But then we might never get to do things!”

Her bandmate didn’t respond, signalling to her that she didn’t have much choice in the matter. She reluctantly returned her arms into position to the do the drumbeat. She was unhappy with the response, but with the expectation that they would continue where they left off if she did learn it, she was more than happy to spend as much time as needed – especially when that time was spent with him.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! Please comment and tell me what you thought!  
> If you liked my writing, I have an ongoing fic called "The Road to Redemption", please check it out!
> 
> I'd like to thank Delphinium493 for helping me with ideas for this; They have a fic called 'Child Prodigy' that's fun to read, I suggest you check it out!


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